How to Build a Multiplayer Game Like Among Us

Blog Summary:

• Multiplayer games like Among Us thrive on interactions, teamwork, and real-time strategy, making them highly engaging and addictive for players worldwide. 
• Choosing the right game engine and tech stack, such as Unity or Unreal Engine, is essential for enabling multiplayer functionality, cross-platform support, and scalable infrastructure.
• A successful multiplayer game requires a clear concept, with well-defined player roles, objectives, tasks, and levels that ensure balanced and strategic gameplay. 
• Building a complete multiplayer system, including networking, matchmaking, lobbies, and cloud hosting, ensures seamless real-time gameplay and consistent player experiences.

Multiplayer games have become a global phenomenon, driven by the surge in online gaming, rapid technological advancements, and the widespread adoption of mobile devices. The multiplayer gaming market is experiencing unprecedented growth, valued at $66.01 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $95.24 billion by 2031. Among the many hits in this space, Among Us stands out as a prime example, generating over $60 million in total revenue since its release. This success demonstrates the immense potential of multiplayer games to capture a global audience and provides valuable insights for developers aiming to create engaging, interactive experiences that players love

Among Us has quickly become a global sensation because it allows multiple players to interact in real time, collaborate, compete, and strategize to win. Unlike traditional single-player games, multiplayer experiences are far more engaging, as they thrive on social interaction and teamwork. Players can connect with friends or strangers online, communicate strategically, and enjoy an immersive gaming experience built around cooperation, deception, and shared decision-making.

The rapidly evolving multiplayer gaming market has created significant opportunities for investors, gaming startups, and businesses across the global gaming industry. Companies seeking to grab on to these opportunities are actively looking for a leading multiplayer game development company to bring their ideas to life. The right development team can help build a successful game like Among Us by delivering innovative gameplay mechanics, seamless real-time networking, and a scalable infrastructure designed for long-term growth.

In this blog, we will help you explore how to build a game like Among Us, from the step-by-step development process and unique features to the essential technology stack, so you can confidently shape your multiplayer game idea into a successful product.

“Great multiplayer games are designed to evolve. At Cubix, we build systems that adapt to player behavior, scale seamlessly, and stay relevant long after launch.” – Salman Lakhani, CEO of Cubix

How Does the Multiplayer Game Like Among Us Work?

Among Us is a free multiplayer social deduction game where players connect and compete with each other in a shared virtual environment. Up to 14 players can join a game, and each player is randomly assigned a role at the beginning, without anyone else knowing.

Players are divided into two roles: crewmates and impostors, set within science-fiction environments such as a spaceship, skybase, or planetary outpost

Crewmates identify the impostors among them and work together to complete tasks around the map, such as repairing systems, fixing wiring, or fueling engines, while impostors eliminate crewmates and sabotage the mission without being discovered.

The game is played in rounds. To identify impostors, players can report suspicious behavior, call emergency meetings, and discuss their observations. Among Us is highly engaging and addictive due to its social deduction elements, where teams interact, strategize, and use deception to survive or achieve their objectives.

Read More: The Rise of Multiplayer Games: Shaping the Future of Gaming

Unique Features of the Multiplayer game like Among Us

Among Us has become a global hit, offering unique features that make the game simple yet engaging and immersive. Below are some of the key features that contribute to its popularity. 

Customized gameplay settings:  

Players and hosts can adjust and customize game rules, such as the number of impostors, task difficulty, discussion duration, and voting mechanism. This allows players to create tailored experiences and keep the game engaging for a difficult audience. 

Asymmetrical Role:

Each player has a unique role with distinct abilities and objectives, creating dynamic interactions and unpredictability in every round. The hidden identity of impostors adds tension and strategic depth to social deduction games. 

Real-time communication:

Players can engage in live discussions, call emergency meetings, and vote on decisions. This interactive social element allows for negotiation, persuasion, and teamwork, which is rare in other multiplayer games.

Dynamic task and map design:

Tasks and maps are designed to encourage exploration, strategy, and varied player interactions. Multiple maps with distinct layouts and environmental features ensure each match feels fresh and requires different strategies.

Cross-platform support:

The game supports players across multiple platforms, such as PC, mobile consoles, allowing everyone to join matches regardless of their device. Cross-platform compatibility, often optimized by a console game development company, expands the player base and encourages broader interaction.

Character customization options:  

Players personalize their avatars with different colors, hats, skins, and pets. This customization adds a fun, personal touch and increases player engagement without affecting gameplay balance. 

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Multiplayer Game Like Among Us

Creating a successful multiplayer game requires more than just a fun idea; it takes careful planning, the right technology, and a clear development roadmap. Here are 8 essential steps to help you design, build, and launch your own version of a game like Among Us.

Step 1: Define the Core Gameplay Concept and Design

Every successful multiplayer game begins with a clearly defined core concept. Identify what makes your game unique, player roles, objectives, win conditions, and interaction mechanics. Decide how players cooperate, compete, or deceive each other.

Once the concept is built, create a comprehensive game design document (GDD). This document should outline gameplay flow, rules, maps, progression systems, UI/UX logic, and the overall player experience. A strong GDD keeps the entire team aligned throughout development.

Step 2: Choose the Game Engine and Technology Stack

Understanding the technologies used in the Among Us game can help you select the right game engine and tech stack, ensuring smooth multiplayer functionality, cross-platform support, and scalable infrastructure. Popular engines like Unity and Unreal Engine are widely used for their robust networking features and large developer communities.

Your tech stack should also take into consideration networking libraries, backend infrastructure, cloud hosting, and analytics solutions for real-time gameplay and future enhancements. 

Step 3: Design the Multiplayer Architecture

Multiplayer architecture refers to the structure of how players will connect and interact with each other in real-time. You can choose to implement peer-to-peer, client-server, or dedicated server architecture depending on the complexity and security requirements of your game.

This phase also involves designing data synchronization, latency, player state, and cheat prevention; these are important components of a smooth multiplayer experience.

Step 4: Build Lobbies and Matchmaking

Lobbies and matchmaking are the backbone of any multiplayer game. Design systems that allow players to create private rooms, join public matches, invite friends, and reconnect if disconnected.

Smart matchmaking should balance player skill levels, reduce wait times, and ensure smooth session transitions to keep players engaged.

Step 5: Assemble the Development Team

Multiplayer games require a diverse skill set. Assemble a team of game designers, multiplayer programmers, backend engineers, UI/UX designers, QA testers, and live-ops developers.

Communication and collaboration are critical, and even more so when dealing with complex multiplayer systems.

Step 6: Develop Core Multiplayer Gameplay Systems

This is where your game truly comes to life. Implement core systems such as player movement, role assignment, real-time interactions, voting mechanics, chat systems, and animations.

At this stage, focus on gameplay feel, responsiveness, and consistency across different devices and network conditions.

Step 7:  Test, Balance, and Optimize Performance

Continuous Testing is critical for multiplayer games. Perform functional testing, stress testing, and latency simulation to find bugs and performance issues.

Balance gameplay mechanics based on player behavior and feedback, ensuring that the gameplay is fair and replayable. Performance optimization is critical to ensure smooth gameplay even under heavy traffic. 

Step 8: Prepare the Game  for Launch

Before the launch of your game, finalize server infrastructure setup,  analytics integration and prepare for live monitoring. A successful multiplayer game does not end with the launch; plan your game for post-launch updates, bug fixes, new content, and community management.

Post-launch support is critical to keep your players engaged and help your game grow organically.

Read More: Building Games? Here’s What Founders Get Wrong (And How Cubix Fixes It)

Essential Technologies and Tools for Building a Multiplayer Game Like Among Us

Here are the essential technologies and tools to build a game like Among Us. Using the right tools and tech stack ensures smooth gameplay, real-time interaction, and a scalable multiplayer experience.

Game Engine:   

Choosing the right game engine is the foundation of any multiplayer game. Engines like Unity, Unreal, and Godot offer robust frameworks for rendering, physics, and scripting. For multiplayer mobile games, Unity is widely considered the best engine for multiplayer mobile games due to its strong 2D capabilities, extensive asset store, and powerful networking support. When selecting an engine, consider your team’s expertise, project scope, and long-term platform goals to ensure the best fit for your game. 

Programming Languages:

The choice of programming language plays a crucial role in building a reliable game infrastructure. C# is widely used with Unity, C++ is standard for Unreal Engine, and JavaScript/TypeScript often powers server-side multiplayer features via Node.js. Selecting the right language ensures efficient gameplay mechanics, seamless server-client communication, and maintainable code. 

Networking & Multiplayer Frameworks:

For real-time communication and synchronization in multiplayer games, frameworks such as Photon Engine, Mirror (Unity), and Socket.IO are among the most popular SDKs. These platforms provide real-time matchmaking, session management, player connection handling, and authoritative server logic. By simplifying complex network programming, they allow developers to focus more on game design and creating engaging player experiences.

Server & Cloud Solutions:

Hosting and scaling a multiplayer game requires robust server infrastructure. Platforms like AWS GameLift, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure enable real-time game hosting, dynamic scaling, and global server deployment, ensuring low latency and seamless gameplay for players worldwide. Cloud solutions also support analytics and backend services for persistent game states.

Design & Asset Tools:

Visual appeal and UI/UX are critical to player engagement. Tools such as Blender, Maya, Photoshop, and Illustrator allow developers to create 2D/3D characters, maps, animations, and UI elements. These tools help ensure the game is visually immersive and that the player experience remains consistent across devices. 

Database & Analytics:

Efficient data management and analytics are essential for tracking player behavior, progress, and in-game events. Platforms like Firebase, MongoDB, and GameAnalytics enable real-time database updates, performance monitoring, and insights into player engagement, helping developers optimize gameplay, retention, and monetization strategies.

Read More: What Happens After Game Launch? The Part Most Dev Teams Don’t Tell You

Cost to develop a multiplayer game like Among Us

The cost of developing a multiplayer game like Among Us varies widely depending on complexity, such as features, graphics quality, server infrastructure, and team size. It is essential to understand the budget range and the factors that can influence the cost of building a scalable multiplayer experience. Below is the cost breakdown based on project size:

Small‑Scale / Prototype (Indie to Early MVP)

• Estimated Cost: $60,000 – $150,000
• Team: 3-6 developers & artists
• Typical Features: Core gameplay loop, basic matchmaking, simple UI, limited modes. 

Mid-Scale Multiplayer Development Cost

• Estimated Cost: $150,000 – $500,000+
• Team: 8-15 people, including backend engineers
• Typical Features: Multiple game modes, ranked matches, social features, moderation and reporting tools, and stable network infrastructure.

Large-Scale Multiplayer Game Development

• Estimated Cost: $500,000 – $1M+
• Team: 15-30+ professionals
• Typical Features: Persistent accounts and progression systems, seasonal live events, in‑game economy and analytics dashboard, global server deployment, and scalable infrastructure.

Build a Multiplayer Game Like Among Us with Cubix 

Creating a multiplayer game like Among Us requires expertise, technical skill, and the right development team. With 18 years of experience and over 1,300 successful projects worldwide, Cubix helps startups and enterprises turn their ideas into engaging, immersive games. From concept development to post-launch support, Cubix ensures your game is designed for maximum player engagement and global reach. 

Our team builds a complete multiplayer game infrastructure, including real-time networking, seamless matchmaking, interactive lobbies, and cloud-hosted solutions. These systems are compatible across PC, mobile, and console platforms.

Beyond development, Cubix provides post-launch support and live operations to ensure the game is built for scalability. The team consistently performs server maintenance, bug fixes, updates, live events, and data-driven improvements to enhance user retention and monetization. Cubix delivers end-to-end game development services to build similar games like Among Us. 

The Bottom Line

Multiplayer games like Among Us are reshaping the gaming industry, offering immersive, interactive experiences that connect players worldwide. The success of your game idea doesn’t depend solely on concept creation but on how well it is executed.

Building a successful multiplayer game requires thoughtful design, engaging mechanics, and a reliable development team. With expertise in creating scalable, immersive experiences, Cubix helps transform multiplayer game ideas into market-ready products that captivate players worldwide

FAQs

1. How do I create my own game like Among Us?

To create a game like Among Us, start by defining your core gameplay concept, player roles, objectives, and mechanics. Develop a comprehensive game design document (GDD) outlining maps, tasks, UI/UX, and progression systems. 

2. How do you build and design a multiplayer game?

Building a multiplayer game involves designing engaging gameplay, real-time networking, lobbies, matchmaking, and scalable server infrastructure. Choose the right game engine, programming languages, and networking frameworks, assemble a skilled development team, and iteratively test and optimize the game for performance and player experience. 

3.What technologies and tools are needed to develop a multiplayer game?

Key technologies include a game engine like Unity or Unreal; networking frameworks, such as Photon or Mirror; cloud hosting solutions like AWS GameLift or Google Cloud; programming languages like C# or C++; and design tools like Blender, Maya, Photoshop, or Illustrator.